Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
America. What Went Wrong? (Part 1) / Politics / US Politics
By: Mike_Stathis
As I have detailed with extensive data and accompanying analysis in America's Financial Apocalypse (2006/expanded and 2007/condensed), America’s once great economy has been gradually transformed into a Ponzi scheme through decades of unfair trade policies that destroyed millions of U.S. jobs.
Unlike many other books which discussed the real estate bubble in isolation, this book went well beyond the real estate bubble by presenting a compelling case for a long period of economic depression.
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Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Thoughts on Obama’s New Retirement Initiatives / Politics / Pensions & Retirement
By: Nilus_Mattive
Last week I told you about some of Washington’s latest ideas on “fixing” Social Security. And the very next night — as part of his first State of the Union address — President Obama referenced some of his own ideas on the broader topic of retirement.
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Banking Sector Regulation, A Breath of Fresh Volker / Politics / Market Regulation
By: Andrew_Butter
There are moments in history that define a change of direction, Paul Volker’s testimony on Capital Hill last night was one of them. Perhaps it’s a co-incidence, but the minute he opened his mouth the 10-Year yield dropped, gold’s new breakout attempt stalled, and the S&P 500 rose.
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Who is the Enemy, Dr Ron Paul? / Politics / US Politics
By: Michael_T_Bucci
Recently, Representative Ron Paul addressed the House [paraphrased here], and after depicting the absurdity, cost and futility of fighting our Middle Eastern wars, asked: "Who is the enemy? We don't even know who the enemy is! If we don't know who the enemy is, how will we know if we won?" Though I disagree with his Party's platform and agenda, I admire Ron Paul's bold independent position and thoroughly uphold his viewpoint and opinion. Dr Paul is perfectly correct. Who is the enemy?
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Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Thoughts On The Bernanke Re-Appointment / Politics / Central Banks
By: Graham_Summers
The US Congress decided to re-appoint Ben Bernanke as Fed Chairman of the US Federal Reserve. This decision is completely and utterly insane.
Please understand, I do not use the word “insane” for humorous purposes, but as a factual observation. For there is truly no other way to look at Congress’ decision.
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Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Strategic Geopolitical and Economic Forecasts for 2010 / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: OilPrice_Com
A great - and still growing - divergence appeared in 2009 between public statements by leaders and their public performance. The politicized, romanticized theater of increasingly populist “democratic” leaders and media seemed to be of a different planet from activities taking place in the real world.
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
The Fed as Giant Fiat Currency Counterfeiter / Politics / Central Banks
By: Robert_Murphy
San Jose State economics professor Jeffrey Rogers Hummel tells all his students that the easiest way to understand the Federal Reserve is to think of it as a giant, legalized counterfeiter. I had always known that the Fed and other central banks were like counterfeiters, but I still thought that the actual mechanics of open-market operations and so forth actually provided some important distinctions.
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Isle of Man, The Greatest Tax Haven? / Politics / Taxes
By: LewRockwell
Nathan Blevins writes:The Call of Ellan Vannin - Freedom isn’t some fanciful creature of the imagination, like Bigfoot. It actually exists, and I’ve seen it. For in the year of our Lord, 2006, I had the marvellous privilege of fulfilling a lifelong personal dream: the dream of travelling to an enchanted place I’d always wished to visit. Well, perhaps I’d not held the dream that long. For you see, it was roughly 6 or 7 years ago that I was reading some smashing stuff from fellow liberty lover, Ron Holland, when I happened upon a trivia question of his that gave me pause:
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Iraq War Inquiry Shows Blair the British Neo-con / Politics / UK Politics
By: Submissions
Alan Hart writes: Putting Tony Blair on trial would be much too cruel. The man is ill, delusional, quite possibly to the point of madness. What he needs most of all is psychiatric help. Any doubts I might have had about that diagnosis were removed by his six-hour presentation to the Chilcot Inquiry of his reasons for joining the neo-conned “Dubya” Bush in the war on Iraq.
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Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Obama Threatens China and Iran, Another U.S. War? / Politics / US Politics
By: Shamus_Cooke
The possibility of yet another U.S. war became more real last week, when the Obama administration sharply confronted both China and Iran. The first aggressive act was performed by Obama’s Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, who “warned” China that it must support serious economic sanctions against Iran (an act of war).
Monday, February 01, 2010
U.S. Government Spending Freeze Not Likely / Politics / US Politics
By: Dr_Ron_Paul
Last week politicians in Washington made a few things clear about how they really feel about the state of the union. First, they are beginning to hear the growing discontent with the size and scope of government and the broken promises that keep piling up. Certain events in Massachusetts recently made that statement loud, clear and unavoidable. In the face of those events, the powers that be made the determination that some populist rhetoric was in order, and the idea of a spending freeze in Washington was proposed, albeit with several caveats. These caveats to the proposed spending freeze ensure that we are not at any real risk of actually doing anything about spending.
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Monday, February 01, 2010
Are You 100% Sure They Saved the Financial System? / Politics / Credit Crisis 2010
By: Mac_Slavo
Many of us were told in private conversations that if we voted against this bill on Monday, that the sky would fall, the market would drop two or three thousands points the first day, another couple thousand the second day, and a few members were even told that there would be martial law in America if we voted no.
Monday, February 01, 2010
Secret Banking Cabal Conspiracy Theory Going Mainstream / Politics / US Politics
By: Global_Research
Paul Joseph Watson writes: In another measure of how what the establishment labels “conspiracy theory” is quickly becoming mainstream, Bloomberg News carries a story today acknowledging that those derided as “crazy” for warning that the world is run by a secret banking cabal have largely been proven right in light of the AIG cover-up.
Monday, February 01, 2010
Obama’s Junk Economics, Democrats Relinquish the Populist Option to the Republicans / Politics / US Politics
By: Michael_Hudson
In a dress rehearsal for this November’s mid-term election, Democrats and Republicans vied last week for who could denounce the banks and blame the other party the most for the giveaways to Wall Street that have swollen the public debt since September 2008, pushing the federal budget into deficit and the economy into a slump.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
U.S. China War of Words Over Iran Nuke Sanctions / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: Mike_Shedlock
The war of rhetoric with China continues. Hillary Clinton is again battling China over China's relationship with Iran. Please consider Clinton presses China over Iran nuke sanctions.
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Sunday, January 31, 2010
Is The War In Afghanistan About Terror, Or Heroin? / Politics / Afghanistan
By: Andrew_Butter
No one knows how much the “War on Terror” cost so far, but if you add up the actual direct expenditure plus the economic damage, plus the cost of all the extra security, it wouldn’t surprise me if it came to more than the credit crunch cost. Of course it didn’t happen all in one go, but I just wonder whether the current malaise in USA might have something to do with that cost.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Pentagon Confronts Russia In The Baltic Sea / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: Rick_Rozoff
Twelve months ago a new U.S. administration entered the White House as the world entered a new year.
Two and a half weeks later the nation's new vice president, Joseph Biden, spoke at the annual Munich Security Conference and said "it's time to press the reset button and to revisit the many areas where we can and should be working together with Russia."
Saturday, January 30, 2010
The Fateful Geological Prize Called Haiti / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: F_William_Engdahl
A former US President becomes UN Special Envoy to earthquake-stricken Haiti. A born-again neo-conservative US business wheeler-dealer preacher claims Haitians are condemned for making a literal ‘pact with the Devil.’ Venezuelan, Nicaraguan, Bolivian, French and Swiss rescue organizations accuse the US military of refusing landing rights to planes bearing necessary medicines and urgently needed potable water to the millions of Haitians stricken, injured and homeless.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Obama Threatens to Push Economy Over the Edge, the Precarious State of Our Union / Politics / US Politics
By: Peter_Schiff
In this week's much anticipated State of the Union address, President Obama again demonstrated his poor understanding of the fundamental problems that confront our nation. By following the advice of the same people who helped guide our economy to the precipice of total collapse, Obama now threatens to push it over the edge.
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Friday, January 29, 2010
More Government in the Financial Sector to Save Capitalism / Politics / Market Regulation
By: Vitaliy_Katsenelson
I am a Capitalist Pig, and proud of it, thus you would not expect me to support government interference and more strenuous regulation of financial institutions – after all, capitalism (free markets) and tight regulation don't mix well. Well, at the risk of been kicked out of the Capitalistic Pig Party, I am in support of tighter regulation of too-big-to-fail (TBTF) institutions – the likes of Citigroup, JPMorgan, Bank America, and (God forbid; after all, they are doing “God’s work” – their CEO’s words, not mine) Goldman Sachs.